Open Minds, Open Meeting

Wednesday

Mar 14, 2018 at 5:04 PMMar 19, 2018 at 12:10 PM

Jody Feinberg The Patriot Ledger

When Old Ship Church hung a Black Lives Matter banner three years ago, people reacted - many favorably, some less so. Church members wanted to know what else they could do to support the movement and expand awareness of racism. Their answer is the first Meeting House Forums, which launches Sunday in Hingham with the program “Black Lives Matter – To Everyone" and continues next month with "Let's Talk: Dealing with Conflict."

In addition to fostering understanding of pressing issues facing the United States and the world, the Meeting House Forums are intended to bring more people into the historic and recently renovated 1681 building, the only remaining 17th-century Puritan meeting house in the United State. In continuous use as a church for more than 300 years, it is a National Historic Landmark and is on the National Registry of Historic Places.

"The Meeting House has been a gathering place since it was built where people discuss issues of the day," said Nina Wellford Price, president of Old Ship's Board of Trustees and an organizer of the forums. "This continues the tradition of open-minded discussion. It's also a stunning setting that we wanted to open to the public because a lot of people have never been in it."

The kick-off forum will explain the genesis and aims of the Black Lives Matter movement and explore the racial injustice that fueled it. It also will look at the ways white individuals and society can recognize racism and take steps to diminish it. Martin Henson, a spokesman from Black Lives Matter Boston, and Rahsaan Hall, a lawyer and Director of the Racial Justice Program for ACLU Massachusetts, will speak and join in a discussion moderated by the Rev. Ken Read-Brown, minister of Old Ship. The audience will be invited to ask questions and, following the formal program, gather in the Parish House for soup, bread and conversation. The event is free, but donations to support the series are appreciated.

Price, who heard Rahsaan speak at the Women's March last year in Boston, said his words made her want to examine her biases and society's formal and informal ways of discriminating against blacks.

"Until we address racism, our country is not going to reach its full potential," she said. "Personal and systemic racism is only going to change when white people realize they have privilege and a responsibility to do something."

The forum organizers have sent invitations to the Hingham police chief, selectmen, school committee and other town and state officials, as well as students and members of South Shore Action and other civic and activist organizations.

"We're hoping to get everyone in the same room and see what happens," Price said.

In the second forum, Aziz Abu Sarah will speak about ways to defuse conflict between hostile communities. Sarah, a Palestinian activist who became a peace advocate, is a National Geographic Explorer, TED Fellow, author and co-owner of a company that organizes trips designed to build understanding among diverse peoples. Other forums will take place throughout the year.

"He has gone all over the world to work with people who have polar opposite views," Price said. "He takes his global experiences and brings them to a personal level that we think will have lessons for daily life."